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Book Review: Rest For The Wicked by Cate Dean

Rest For The Wicked is the first book in The Claire Wiche Chronicles by Cate Dean. This urban fantasy begins with Claire Wiche, an ordinary woman, running a Wicca shop in an ordinary California beach town. But Claire wasn't always ordinary, and she isn't quite human. She hides a secret, and a past she thought she had put behind her. Unfortunately the past and big secrets are hard to keep buried, especially when it puts the few people Claire has come to care for in danger. Claire needs to stand up and defend her friends and face her past even if it kills her.

Rest for the Wicked is a short book, and a quick read. It was also a book with a ton of promise. I loved the characters, but felt that there could have been a lot more of building them. Claire is a powerful witch with a hidden past and battling some kind of illness. Annie is Claire's outgoing and man crazy side kick (my favorite character by the way), and then there are Jack and Marcus who both have a significant role to play. I really liked the plot, and the villain from Claire's past doing bad, bad things. However, I think this book should have been longer, offering more insights into the relationship between Annie and Claire, offering more background on the mythology of the supernatural elements and more time for new relationships to form. I enjoyed Dean's writing style, but just wanted more from the story.

Rest for the Wicked is a quick, interesting read. However, I felt like it could have been fleshed out much more. I liked what was offered, but felt like I missed out on a good bit of information. Perhaps if Dean put the glossary she offers at the end of the book in the beginning, it would offer a more satisfying reading experience. That being said, I just might pick up the second book just to see if the missing bits are picked up there.